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Dylan Thomas, “Twenty-four years”: A Philological Reading
- Philosophy and Literature
- Johns Hopkins University Press
- Volume 39, Number 2, October 2015
- pp. 508-526
- 10.1353/phl.2015.0054
- Article
- Additional Information
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Abstract:
On the occasion of his twenty-fourth birthday, Thomas engages in a witty, whimsical, and ironic reflection on the question of human mortality. In my analysis of this poem, I review the various rehearsals of the venerable meditatio mortis motif, from its biblical and classical origins to its modern manifestations in profane and liturgical literature.